LONDON CHAT.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 13095, 21 April 1908, Page 9

LONDON CHAT.

(FHOM OCR OWN CORnESrONDKNT.I LONDON, March 0. For the first time in all English history tho King lias made a call in p?r;>n upon hid Prime Minister. Sir Henry C'anipbell-IJa.'ir.erMian is sti: laid up with tiie all-prevalent "flu..' , and Kin.s Kthvard left London yesterday tor a stay at Kiarriiz. Hi--3iuj.-i-ty could not l-e content to ;n away without porsonriily visiting hi l Chi.f AdvLscr, rin;] expressing u> !;i-: Jii-i f..vii!pathy in liis trouble and bi-*t w Lilys lor a spcody and complete li--cover\-. Tin-re w;:s no precedent fur thi.s proctvtiin :. But King Edwar>: cares litlle for mere precedents in such caws as this. lie is guided by hi> heart :is w>.ll y.s by his head, and where a kind act is to be done, he does not hesitate for a moment to make his own precedent. In these infetitnc»3 he is ''his own ancestor," a* Napoleon tho Great onc-e claimed to be. liy tho result of the Hastings election another nasty knock has been dealt to the Government. Tho Conservative majority, which was only about 300 at the creneral election two years was ineroaw.-d to over 100 U. the Oprwsitiori poll going up, t!i" Ministerial down. Tho Lords are now being provided with a very strong casefor demanding an appeal to the country on the more debatable Ministerial measures, on the ground that all the iwent by-e-LectioiLs have clearly indicated that tho present Government has 10-sfr, or is losing, tho confidence, of the country. Tho present House of Commons was unquestionably returned as representing a passing phase of discontent—not at all undeserved—with the Conservative party, and already the- cloud of dissatisfaction has passed right across nntjl it hangs over the Liberals instead.

Ono of the most wonderful sales which even Christie's wonderful rcoms hare ever seen has been in progress. The famous coih-c-.'on of old Dresden and Sevres porcelain gathered together by tho late ilr C. J. Dickins is being dispersed, and its fame has brought buyers from all parts of tho Continent. Berlin, Frankfurt, and Homburgsent connoisseurs to bid for tho old Dresden, which made up the first section of the sale, and other countries fought with England for tho possession of tho old Sevres. The first part of the sale lasted 21 hours and during that time very nearly £20,000 was realised, china being exchanged at the average rate of more than £130 a minute Tho maximum prico for a single piece was 3050 guineas, which was paid for a magnificent Sovres eventail jardiniere, B£iii high and llin wide, beautifully decorated by two French artists. After a duel between England and Germany for its possession, it fell to tho Gorman representative. Another set of three vases realised 3200 guineas.

Then, again, the second day of tho sale of tho famous Dickins collection experienced little abatement either in interest or tho flow of money. The lattor changed hands at the rate of £111 per minute. Tho leading Continental cities again 6ent bidders and more than one American collector was represented. The chief interest was reserved for a pair of quaint and beautifully modelled busts of children, wearing caps encrusted with flowers and' tied with ribbon; they were scarcely 10in in height, yet they realised £1207, or over £60 an inch apiece 1 The takings for the second day of the sale amounted to nearly £17,000. The English dealers moro than held their own. with their powerful foreign competitors, ono of them securing most of tho important lots, hia bill amountin.;: to fully £14,000 for tho two dave.

Tho recently published report of the new King Edward VII. Sanatorium for the _ treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis shows that the institution bids.fair to fulfil the henoficont intention of its' founder.. According to "The Lancet" thero are now 101 beds available for patients, but as three have b<M>n filled gradually, only 152 oases were treated during the year, with, an average stay of some 13 or 14 weeks. j Tho list of occupations of tho patients chows that a largo majority of them belong to the professional and "middlo" classes. They are not only di-awn from many English counties, but _ from such distant parts as China, India and Africa. The routine treatment of the patients has boon considered carefully, but both ra3 regards diet and exercise is subject to such individual modifications as may scorn advisable to the medical offioera. The standard is on a liberal scale, but is not α-ilcnlated for the "stuffing" process which was at one time considered a necessary adjunct to tho opon-air treatment of tuberculosis. The quality and hours of the meals are such as the majority of the patients are accustomed to have at home, dinner being served in tho evejiings. A -point is mado of especially varying the diets of patients confined to bed. Alcohol is pr<»scribed at discretion. Tho tradition of monotonous idleness of mind and body has been completely broken down at Midhurst, three hours daily bednjg prescribed for "recreation" in the organisation of which a Patients' Amusement and Concert Committees does useful work. Following the example of graduated labour set by the Bromjiton Hospital SnJiatorium, at Frimley, tho routine of "treatment walks'' is varied in suitable cases by work in tho garden and grounds of tho sanatorium and in the pine woods near it. Outdoor carpentry, poultry tending, and tho construction of a cinder tennis court have helped to occupy tho time oJ sonic patients. Of the 152 patients treated during the first year of the existence of the Sanatorium, 40 wero discharged with the disou.se '•arrested," 62 "much improved," 32 "improved," G "stationary," 10 "worse,' , while two died in the Sanatorium and 1" after discharge.

. At tho Tveekly meeting of tho Royal Society, yesterday. Dr. Thorpe-, the Director of the Government Laboratory, made an important communication on "The Atomic Weight of Radinni'—a , subject of interest, in relation to its bearing upon the true position of radium in the system of the chemical elements, and in reference to tho discussion which has taken place as to tho origin and mode, of genesis of this most singular substance. Some- time ago the Austrian Government- placed a quantity of the residues obtained In the working of the uranium mines at Joachimstahl, in lioliemia, at the disposal of the itoyal Society, this bejng the material in which" radium was iirst discovered by Madame Curie. These residues furnished a considerable quantity of radio-active barium chloride, from wliielysaft Dr. Thorpo succeeded, by a long scries of systematic crystallisations in obtaining tho radium chloride- which served for his determinations. Ho found, as tho result of a number of concordant observations, that tho atomic weight of radium is about 22T times greater than that of hydrogen, which is the unit commonly adopted by chemists. The value- is in very good agreement with that recently published l>y Madame Curie. In tho course of his paper, Dr. Thorpe made rolerence to the remarkable action exerted by compounds of radium on tho vessels usually employed in chemical operations, nnd he showed articles of glass and quartz in illustration of these effects. The kind of glass usually employed in chemical utensils rapidly acquires a strong aniftiiy.stiiie tint when subjected to the influence of radium or of the rays it emits, and vessels of quartz or fused rock crystal become coloured a deep purplish, black. . ,